Heralding in a new era after their fourth-place finish at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, France looked dominant, if not totally comfortable, in the opening stages.
Turkey were playing their role well, defending with might without neglecting the counter, on which Oguz Aydin roared down the right and pulled it back for Baris Yilmaz, who couldn’t get his shot away.
Their best first-half opportunity came when a looping ball found Ferdi Kadioglu unmarked in the box, but his header was weak and straight at Mike Maignan.
But France gradually started to turn their possession into chances, with the final five minutes of the half hosting a number of opportunities for the away side.
Some brilliant play between Ousmane Dembele and Rayan Cherki resulted in the latter’s shot being blocked at the last moment by Merih Demiral, before a trademark curling effort from Michael Olise was just tipped over by Ugurcan Cakir.
Trying to reverse the trend from the end of the first half, Turkey surged forward on the restart and nearly took the lead when Ismail Yuksek stormed onto Arda Guler’s corner, only for his header to be pushed over the top by Maignan’s lightning reflexes.
And to make matters worse, their momentum was ended when some untidy play at the back allowed Olise to find Kylian Mbappe, who expertly slotted in at the near post.
Unfortunately, France’s all-time record goalscorer had to be withdrawn due to an injury picked up when making that finish, but his side still had chances to extend their lead through Jules Kounde and Olise.
A subsequent strong spell from the hosts hinted that they could get back into it, but their chances were ended when their goalkeeper Cakir was sent off late on for handling the ball outside the area while closing down Bradley Barcola.
Zidane therefore wins his first match in charge, something that none of the previous five France managers could do.
Though experiencing more disappointment since their group-stage exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this strong performance against one of Europe’s top sides suggests that Turkey aren’t just making up the numbers in League A.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Michael Olise (France)
